Alton

This pleasant old market town dates back to before
the Bronze Age, and grew prosperous during the 13th-c
from ale brewing and woolen cloth production. The
town developed along the route of the ancient Pilgrims'
Way, which now forms the town's long high street.
There are an number of very attractive Georgian buildings
in the centre and in Amery Street (near to the market-place),
is a Tudor cottage in which the poet Edmund Spenser
lived (circa 1590).

During the Civil War, the town was the scene of
a mortal struggle between the Roundheads and Royalists.
The ensuing battle ended around the parish church
of St Lawrence, where Charles' supporters finally
fell. Musket balls marks are still visible in the
surrounding stonework of the main church doorway.

Content by Steve B

Places of Interest to Visit in Alton

Curtis Museum

An interesting collection of local historical artifacts
and agricultural tools are on display, including
a collection of Prehistoric, Roman and Anglo-Saxon
archeological finds, which includes the "Alton
buckle", one of finest pieces of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship
discovered in Hampshire. There is also section
covering the Battle of Alton, fought during the English
Civil War in 1643.

The "Jane Austen Trail", on the the first floor,
describes life in Alton (and nearby Chawton) during
the early 1800s, when the novelist Jane Austen and
her family lived in the area. See also Jane
Austen House and Museum.